Can't Hide The Pain
by MiseryWriter
Summary: Kai has already betrayed his team and he can't seem to forget about it. How can he escape their accusing eyes? When he is given the chance to make his life better he grabs it, but is happiness really so easy to keep a hold of? KaiOC NOT A MARY SUE!
1. Leaving You

_A brief history: (Please keep in mind, this is not the history of the Anime series or Manga version. This is just something that I pieced together from what I know to fit in with my own story!) Anyway, This story starts off just after a major tournament in Russia. During the tournament in one of the last battles between Rei and Bryan, Rei was seriously injured and hospitalised. Another occurrence was Kai's betrayal of his team. It was only his friends refusal to stop believing in him that finally brought Kai back to their side. After these events, the Blade Breakers decided to spend a few weeks relaxing in Russia so that Rei would have time to heal his wounds and everyone could get fully recovered in time to return to Japan. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts during this time, Kai grew steadily further apart from his team. Purposefully distancing himself from them in an effort to understand his own thoughts. It is in this light that our story is begun, only ten days before the Blade Breakers return to Japan…_

**Leaving You**

_I felt so lost without you, _

_And now I have to leave,_

_I'm feeling such sweet sorrow,_

_Was life with you a dream?_

'Hey, Rei. Have you seen Kai around today?' Rei looked up from the book he was reading.

'Kai? I don't think I've seen him for over three days. He only shows up in the middle of the night when we're all asleep. You know that. Why are you asking anyway?' Max looked down at the envelope in his hands.

'He got a letter.' He held it out for Rei to see.

'A letter? That's kind of weird. Who would send him a letter here? Aren't we supposed to be on holiday?' shifting his broken leg to a more comfortable position, he handed the letter back to Max. 'I suppose you'd better leave it on the counter. He'll find it if he ever gets in.' Max nodded.

'I guess so. Thanks Rei.' He left the room and Rei returned to his book.

Kai opened the door with quiet expertise. Then he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, all without making a sound. As he sat down silently at the table, to eat the snack he had made for himself, his eye caught sight of an envelope, resting against a vase at the other end of the table. Reaching over he picked it up, frowning curiously. Looking at the address, he suddenly realised that the letter was for him.

'Weird.' He murmured to himself. Ripping it open he pulled out the letter inside. It was hand-written on pale yellow hospital paper. When he saw the signature at the end of the page he gasped. It was signed _Elaine_ _Hiwatari_. It was from his Mother.

Rei yawned loudly. Leaning heavily on his crutch, he made his way into the Kitchen. Even though it was quite early in the morning there was someone there before him.

'Kai?' he whispered. Slumped across the table was Kai. He was asleep. There was a letter clutched in his hand. Sitting down on the opposite side Rei leaned over to shake Kai's shoulder.

He gave a startled yelp and tried to leap back as Kai grabbed his arm in a sudden movement. Kai looked surprised to see Rei, as if he had expected something worse. Maybe he had, thought Rei, wincing. Kai had an iron grip on his arm and Rei still had cuts there that hadn't healed yet.

'Kai, you're hurting me.' He gasped. Kai looked shocked and pulled his arm away just as suddenly as he had when waking up.

'Sorry.' He mumbled, looking down at the floor. Rei frowned, examining his arm to cover his discomfort. Had it just been his imagination or were Kai's eye's slightly red, as if he'd been crying?

'I…' Rei looked up at Kai again but he was still looking at the ground.

'I have to go away.'

'What?' Exclaimed Rei sharply.

'I have to go away. I might not be coming back.' Rei stared at him in confusion.

'But…why?' Kai ignored his question.

'Will you tell the other's? Tell them I'm sorry for …for being such a jerk.' He got up and walked to the door.

'Wait! Kai!' Called Rei. Kai stopped in the doorway. 'Is this about…what happened? You know we don't blame you for that. It wasn't your fault Kai.'

'Rei. This isn't about that. I can't explain it to you but…I have to do this Rei. For myself.'

Kai stepped out into the hallway and Rei watched as he paused one last time.

'And Rei?…Thank you.' Then he was gone.

_One Week Later_

The only good news of this week past had been Rei. The doctor had said he was allowed off the crutches. Unfortunately this really was the only good news. Since Kai had disappeared, this time without even nocturnal visits, the whole gang had been downhearted. They were meant to be going home to Japan tomorrow but they could hardly think of leaving Kai behind. Hilary, who had come with them for the tournament seemed to be the worst hit along with Tyson. Hilary had always mistrusted Kai and had made it known but she realised now that they had been better off with him around to bully them. She blamed herself for driving him away. With this misery and doubt driving through her she had left the house early that morning to walk the streets of Moscow.

_'Why would you leave now Kai? Don't you know we want to be your friends?'_ She grimaced slightly at this. How hypocritical could you get? Before he had left them, Hilary had been distrustful of Kai. Deep down in her mind she had had the thought that was racking her conscience now he was gone.

_'Maybe if he left, things would be better'._ The thought made her feel ill now that she could see how miserable the lot of them were without Kai's gloomy face about.

A soft flake of pure white snow landed gently on Hillary's upturned face. She pulled her jacket tighter around her and turned to start back to the hotel.

As she did so, something caught her eye. She stopped. Peering into a small dark alleyway. At first she couldn't figure out what it was that had caught her attention. Then with a sudden gasp of shock she realised. Huddled in a limp bundle of rags was a body slumped against the cold iron of a large skip.

She only made the connection when a dull bruised eye opened slowly and the icy blue depths drew her in. Slowly, cautiously, against her better judgement, she approached. The eye closed again and Hilary was caught with a sudden sense of urgency. She knelt down quickly.

'Hey' she called reaching out to try and shake the stranger into a more conscious state. 'Hey, are you okay?' the eye opened again. The second eye was too swollen for any movement but the look from just one was enough for Hilary to draw back her hand in shock.

A shiver ran through her as she saw blood smeared across her palm. A low groan came from the person and he tried to turn away from her. The slight movement seemed to cause even more pain because the single eye clamped shut and blood ran from his lip where he had bitten himself in distraction.

'Hold on!' gasped Hilary. Now that she had found this fading life she realised that she didn't want it to leave. Reaching quickly into her bag she grasped for her mobile and, pulling it out, punched in the emergency number.

'Hello? Yes this is an emergency. I'm on …uh…' she looked around for a street sign. 'I'm on Old Arbat Street.' She was silent for a second before, ' I'm in a side alley. There's uh…a person. He's badly hurt…okay. I'll wait. Thank you.' She hung up and looked back at the stranger. The eye was open again. Staring at her now with a strange mix of dread fascination and pure confusion. The icy, blue orbs reminded her of someone.

'They told me not to move you.' She said hesitantly. It was more to break the silence than to comfort him and they both knew it.

Hilary was about to speak again when she realised that the strange character was trying to say something.

'wh…why…' She looked at him strangely. Not quite understanding.

'Because moving you will only hurt you more.' She frowned. The eye closed again and she thought she saw a slight smile playing about his lips. It only lasted a moment though, before she noticed he was shivering violently.

'Here' she said, placing her warm fur-lined coat over him. 'You must be cold.' The eye shot open again, this time the ice blue orbs were filled without confusion.

Hilary was about to comment when the sound of sirens reached her ear.

'The ambulance!' she cried, jumping up. 'Stay here' she said quickly before running to the entrance of the alley.

As the stretcher carried him into the ambulance, he reached out and caught Hillary's hand in his own.

'Thank you.' He whispered softly before closing his eye and finally surrendering to oblivion.

As his head fell to the side, the hood that had covered his features fell away. Hilary gasped in recognition. It was not the first time she had seen that blood red shock of hair.

'Tala' she whispered. _It's Tala._

_--------------------------------------------------------_

Oooooooh! That's what we like to see! A good old cliffhanger! Sorry I haven't been around for a while, I'm being a bit slow in writing this latest story! Still I decided I should post this first chapter to see what people thought about it.I don't really know when I'll post the next chapter, I guess it kind of dependshow desperate people are for it! Anyway, cheese and happiness, until next time!


	2. Death and Dying

Hey everyone, You're so lucky to be getting this chapter! I'm on holidays in Australia and I only just remmbered to upload the file onto fanfiction before I left! So anyway, here it is, As you'll soon see, this chapter is almost entirely Kai-centric (We love him that much!) But I have to warn you, there are adult themes suggested here, so sorry if it offends you. Hope you enjoy it, feel free to leave your opinion at the end!

**_Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade. Kira and Elaine are my charachters but they don't feature much anyway so that doesn't really matter!_**

**Death and Dying**

_Bitter tears run down my face_

_Your soul has left this world._

_Your death has left me dying_

_There's nothing in this void._

Quietly thanking the shopkeeper, Kai walked out of the shop and began making his way back to the house. It had been a whole year now since he'd abandoned the Blade Breakers to find his long-lost family. The letter from his mother had been grim and full of things he would rather not have to know and once he had read the letter he had realised that his mother had given him a terrible obligation.

The letter had revealed that his mother and sister, neither of whom he had seen for over ten years, were both in the city. From the hotel, where the Blade Breakers (mainly Rei) had been recuperating from the tournament, Kai had made his way to the other end of Moscow where his mother was wasting away in a small, dingy hospital.

Shivering slightly, Kai shifted the shopping bags to his other hand as he remembered that sorry day.

_Flashback_

_Kai stopped outside one of the private wards. They had told him that E__laine Hiwatari was resting inside. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was a fading middle aged woman, tucked away in a large hospital bed that seemed like it was about to swallow her whole. She was small, and the bright turquoise hair that Kai barely remembered from his childhood, had faded to a dull blue-grey._

_It was only when she opened her bright, stormy eyes that Kai finally connected her with his own scattered memory. _

_'Kai?' she said hesitantly, 'It is you isn't it?' her voice was quiet and sad._

_'Mother.' Said Kai as he moved closer to her. Although he tried to hide the bitterness he felt, some of it still showed in his voice. She heard and winced slightly._

_'Oh Kai, I'm so sorry. I've ruined everything in your life. I…I don't blame you if you hate me. I just wish I could go back and take away all those terrible choices that I made. I'm sorry Kai.' Kai glared at her for a few seconds before lowering his gaze. His anger turned to sorrow._

_'What's done can't be changed.' He said. 'I know you did what you thought best at the time.' __A silence grew between them. Suddenly there was a short knock on the door before a girl, about fourteen years old, walked in._

_She had long dark, blue hair and her eyes were a strange grey-blue colour. She stopped in the doorway, staring at Kai in curiosity._

_'Kai. This is… your sister, Kira.' Said Elaine Hiwatari, gesturing. 'Kira, your brother, Kai.' There was a moment of silence as the two siblings stared at each other before Kira smiled sadly and said in a soft voice,_

_'Hey.' With a shy smile, Kai returned her greeting. _

_'I guess you got my letter Kai?' asked his mother.' I didn't want to ask this of you but I have no more choices left to me.' Kira walked over to the bed and sat down on one of the hospital chairs. Finally Kai sat down carefully balanced on the edge of another chair._

_'Kai.' Elaine began hesitantly, 'I'm asking you to protect your sister. You know from my letter what the circumstances are. I know this puts you in a difficult position. So far in Kira's life…I have taken the blows meant for her. Now I am too weak to do so and I will soon be dead anyway. I wish you didn't have to be hurt, Kai, but I have to ask. Will you do it, Kai…no, son. Will you protect Kira from the hurt that you have suffered all your life? Protect her from your father?' _

_End Flashback_

Kai turned off the footpath and walked slowly towards the front door of his father's house. He had, of course, answered yes. He had promised himself a long time ago that if he could stop someone going through the hurt that had been his life, he would. So here he was a year later, with a fresh bruise every day and, perversely, he was almost happy. Having his sister in his life made any pain worth it.

Putting the heavy shopping bag down on the front step, Kai began searching his pockets for the house key. He had had to get it copied secretly because his drunken father refused point blank to give him a spare. Luckily the evil lout spent most of his afternoons in the pub (as he was today) so the two were spared most of his brutality.

Finally he found his keys. He was about to open the door when he paused for a second, frowning heavily. He thought he'd heard something, a muffled scream? It must have been the telly. He pushed open the door and carried the shopping bags inside. As he closed the door behind him he heard it. A scream, his sister's scream. Kai dropped his bag in shock.

_It couldn't be. _He thought, sprinting towards the sound. His father had never come home early before.

Kai burst through the kitchen door and came to a horrified standstill. His father had come home early. He stood at the other end of the kitchen, pressing himself against Kira, who whimpered and screamed against the filthy hand pressed over her mouth. Her face was wet with tears and her eyes were wide with fright and shame.

With a roar of pure rage, Kai flung himself at the monster, ready and willing at that moment to do murder. Pulling away from Kira, at the sound, the man turned in drunken surprise, lifting his arms to defend against the attack.

Kira sank to the floor where she cowered, watching fearfully as the two struggled around the room.

Despite having the advantage of surprise, Kai was smaller and lighter than his opponent and was driven to dodging a lot of blows that could have crushed him. Ducking about, Kai managed to land only a few hits.

The end came when Kai finally got a proper punch in, a loud crack rang through the room and his father shouted with a roar of pain as he clutched his bleeding nose and stumbled back blindly against the counter. Thinking he had won, Kai moved forward to knock him out. What he couldn't see was his father's hand gripping a sharp knife in his hand on the counter-top behind him.

Raising his arm to strike, Kai's only warning was a sudden movement before pain ripped through him and he sank to the floor, clutching his bleeding stomach.

Kai looked down, shocked at the amount of blood, spilling on the floor. His father also stared at the blood with blank confusion. He stepped back slightly looking from Kai to the knife and back to Kai again. He cursed.

'Look what you made me do, boy. This mess had better be gone when I get back.' He shouted half-heartedly before stumbling drunkenly from the room, frowning heavily.

As soon as he was gone, Kira crawled over to Kai. He gazed at her with confused eyes.

'Kai! Kai, are you okay?' ripping up her already destroyed top, Kira tried to stem the bleeding. 'Just hold on Kai, it'll be okay. Kai grimaced, shaking his head to clear it.

'I'll be fine.' He whispered painfully as he tried to push himself up.

Despite his efforts, the room began to spin and his sister's anxious face became blurred.

'Kira...' he gasped, before falling unconscious to the ground.

_Dream_

_Kai was walking along a wooden boardwalk, built above the sea. No…Not a Boardwalk, it was an entire wooden maze made of walkways, stretching into the distance across the ocean. In the distance, the sun is setting and behind him is the distant shore with wooded hills rising up from it. Two people walk beside him. On one side, Kira, his sister. She smiles at him joyfully. Walking on the other side is a stranger…and yet, it feels like he has always known her. She's…beautiful. She smiles at him and he feels a delicious warmth spreading through him._

_Kai smiles softly back and puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She snuggles into him, wrapping her arms around his body as they continue walking._

_He puts his other hand around Kira and they walk like that, together, wandering peacefully at random through the wooden maze._

_And then?_

_There is a dangerous hint of smoke in the air, the flicker and spark of flames. In the near distance There is an old wooden boathouse and as Kai stares across at it, fire burst from the roof and black smoke rolls from the broken windows._

_All around them more boathouses and walkways are bursting into flames, slowly surrounding the three of them. Kai swung around in shock, pulling the two girls with him._

_'We have to get out!' He shouted over the roar of the inferno. His sister Kira answered, shoving the others forward and pointing,_

_'Look there, a way out! Quick!' Kai and the girl ran towards the flames, Kira right behind them, and then Kai was running, dodging this way and that to avoid the searing flames._

_In some places he had to leap across the burning sea, where the boardwalk had collapsed into ashes, but he kept on running. _

_Running from the flames, from the fear and simply running from panic…until Kai finally stopped and looked around to find himself standing on a wooded hill, overlooking the conflagration. He had escaped._

_But what about the others? Where were they?_

_Then behind him, a call. Someone shouting his name. He spun around then sagged in relief as he spotted the girl. She was safe…but she was alone. Kira wasn't with her. Kai spun back to the fire, it was burning fiercely now, and he searched desperately through the distant flames. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her. _

_Caught on one of the farthest piers, Kira was gazing up at the faraway hill, Kai could make out every detail of her face and he watched helplessly as she smiled one last smile before disappearing behind a roaring wall of flames._

_End Dream_

Kai opened his eyes to an empty silence. It was night-time and he was alone in the small room assigned to him on his first arrival. His stomach burned with unchecked pain and Kai winced, biting back a small whimper of alarm. His stomach had been bandaged but strangely he had been laid on top of the sheets rather than in them. Almost as you would for one who was dead.

Kai sat up in shock. _Did they think he was dead?_ A feeling of dread settled upon him and Kai swung his legs off the bed and stood up shakily, trying to suppress the pain ripping through his abdomen.

'Kira?' he called softly, warily. His abusive father might be awake and ready to finish him off if he heard. Who had brought him up here? Who had taken the care of laying him out in state? It could only be Kira. _If she believes I'm dead…will she want to continue living?_ Hoping he wasn't too late, Kai limped agonisingly slowly from his room and made his way to Kira's bedroom door.

'Kira?' there was no reply. _Of course,_ thought Kai, trying to reassure himself, _it's the middle of the night. She's most likely to be asleep, or else she just didn't hear…still._ With a deep breath, that made his stomach ache, Kai reached out and pushed open the door, stepping into the room.

Kai's fear caught up with him as his gaze fell on the empty bed. Barely noticeable, sticking up on the far side of the bed from Kai, he could see the outline of her head in the moonlight, it was slumped forward.

Moving as fast as possible, Kai stumbled across the room. He slumped down in shock in front of his sister, gasping from the effort.

'Kira.' He whispered, staring at her bloodstained top in dismay. In her hand was a sharp knife, dripping with her blood. Her eyes fluttered weakly open and then widened in surprise.

'Kai?' she gasped. She coughed, blood spilling down her chin. 'Kai, I thought…I thought you were dead. I…I, what have I done?' her voice was just a trembling whisper but he heard each word.

'Kira, don't give up yet, you'll be okay. Just hold on.' Kai made to stand up, wincing in spite himself, he could feel the gash in his stomach had begun bleeding again.

'Wait…' she grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to sit in front of her. 'I wish you didn't have to see this Kai…I know…I know you only came here for ...for my sake…' her hand clutched at his arm, gripping tight as she shuddered from a sudden spasm of pain.

'Kira, don't talk, it'll be okay. Please.' Kai whispered to his sister, pleading for her to hold on though they both knew there was no hope of survival. 'Kira…'

'Kai…I thought you were dead…I couldn't have gone on without you…but…now your alive…I don't want…don't do what I did Kai…save yourself…' Kai shook his head, even though he was older, it seemed like Kira was wiser. She knew what he was thinking. He had no purpose without her…and though he only knew her for a single year, it seemed as if she had been a part of his whole life. She was the only proper family he had left, and she was leaving him.

'I can't Kira,' he whispered desperately, 'there's nothing for me without…'

'NO!' she gasped. 'Don't say that Kai, there's always something worth living for…I just wish I had…seen that sooner…don't give up Kai…you still have friends, they care about you…they still remember you…even if you don't…save yourself Kai…don't let him get you…get out of here…free yourself…from the Hiwatari's…I …I'll always be…grateful…for …your …sacrifice…' Her voice trailed off and her hand went limp on his arm.

Leaning forward, Kai closed her glazed eyes and stood up painfully. Calling on his last reserve of energy, Kai picked up her fragile body and laid it gently upon the bed. Then, for the first time since he was just a child, Kai wept.

His life was meaningless. His Mother and sister were dead, and his father might as well have been. All he could do now was follow his sisters dying wish, and free himself from the Hiwatari family. Forever.

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There you are, the next chapter won't be here for a long time because I'm on holidays for five weeks and the file with the chapter on it is at home! Hopefully this will keep you going for now, thanks everyone for all the positive feedback!

Cheese and Happiness!


	3. Run Away

I'm back again and here's the third installment for my story! Hope it's alright! Enjoy yourselves and feel free to leave comments (Dozens and millions of them...) ;-) Anyway, I'll leave ya to it!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, i dont own the dicarded newspaper either, however Zephyr is my character so keep that in mind people!**

**Run Away**

_Run away, little darling,_

_Run away from pain._

_Run away from all the tears,_

_Run from all the rain._

Kai reached down with cold, shaking fingers to pick up the discarded newspaper. The deep hood pulled over his head hid his more recognisable features. Without it, the picture on the front page of the newspaper would have been the mirror of his own. How was he meant to escape the Hiwatari family when they did this? Walking slowly on, Kai read the headline with a scornful scowl, **'Hiwatari son Kills Sister'**. He should have seen it of course; Voltaire wouldn't let his prize guinea pig escape so easily.

Still, it had taken four days before they had taken the bribes. Voltaire now had the police dangling from his little finger. If they caught him, he would be brought straight back to the Abbey.

Kai shivered, this time it wasn't from cold. In a way it was his fault that Kira was dead. She had died for him. Kai swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. It still hurt to think about that night. Pulling his jacket tighter around him, Kai continued on, through the small village and out into the countryside.

He had been travelling for four days now, and had spent only a few hours each night huddled half asleep under a bush or in some dark barn if he was lucky.

After he had cried all his tears for Kira, Kai had grabbed only the bare essentials and left the house that night. He hadn't had any personal belongings apart from Dranzer, his Beyblade. From Kazan, the large town a few miles from Moscow, where he had lived with Kira and his father, Kai had made his way cross-country to the village where he was now.

He wasn't quite sure where he was aiming to go but in a general way, he was headed somewhere towards Japan, though it would take a while before he got that far.

To be truthful, he was not running to something, but from. He was following his sisters dying wish, that he escape the Hiwatari's forever.

Of course as he now knew, that wasn't so easy. He had been recognised twice that day and his picture had only been published that morning. Ironically, it was the skills he had learned at the abbey that had allowed him to escape. Both times he had slipped away, each time gaining his freedom.

Setting a brisk pace for himself, Kai continued down the road. It was getting towards evening and he hadn't eaten at all today (he had run short of food early yesterday and was rationing himself.) Even so, he knew he wouldn't stop until well into the night. It was to cold to sleep in the open without shelter, if you stayed still for too long, you'd freeze to death. So Kai kept moving.

With a despairing look, Kai noted a single snowflake float slowly from the sky. He knew from experience that it would soon be followed by many more.

He was right. Half an hour later and he couldn't see more than an inch in front of his face. It was freezing cold and his healing wound ached like hell. After an hour, fighting stubbornly against the battering elements, Kai finally excepted that he couldn't move further without risk of losing himself.

Hunching himself against the onslaught of wind and snow, Kai moved to the side of the road until he bumped into a hedge. Then, pulling his coat tight around him, he hunched down and pushed himself further into the slight protection afforded by the scrawny hedge. Then, despite himself, Kai started getting sleepy, as the snow piled up around him, Kai finally surrendered to his fatigue and forgot all about the cold, He forgot everything, drifting into unconsciousness.

Kai drifted through the all-consuming darkness as voices came and went, there was no pain, no cold, but there was no light either. He struggled for something to latch onto, something to pull him away from the waves of fear and misery.

'_Help me' _

The girl looked up from where she was seated. She was wearing a large fur coat and she pulled it close around her as she stared at the boy lying prone in her bed. She had found him the night before on her way home. Actually, she had tripped over him. When she had finally managed to drag him home and put him to bed he had been dangerously feverish and she hadn't been sure if he would survive.

Standing up, she walked over and looked down at him, he was muttering something and he looked…afraid. Surprising herself, Zephyr reached out and took hold of his clenched hand. Curiously, it seemed to help a bit. The boy stopped tossing about as much and after a while his face became smooth and calm again. As his hand unclenched, Zephyr reached out gently and brushed a blue spike of hair from his eyes. Then feeling suddenly self-conscious she stood up with a sigh and walked back over to the armchair where she sat down again to watch from afar.

It wasn't so dark now, he felt as though someone was there with him, holding him up, pulling him towards the light. He felt from afar a feather-light touch on his hand and he moved towards the feeling. Then, suddenly, it was colder. His stomach burned from the old wound, his bones seemed to ache and he shivered slightly at the new sensation. With a small groan, Kai opened his eyes.

There was a soft glow seeping through a thin gauze curtain hung across the window and it cast a golden light across the dusty wooden floor. Kai turned his head, trying to work out where he was. From the far corner there came a small murmur as if from someone sound asleep. Staring past the shadows, Kai could just make out the shape of someone curled up on an old armchair. Gritting his teeth Kai pushed himself up into a sitting position. Looking down he realised that someone had replaced his old bandages with new ones.

Looking back over at his sleeping host, Kai blushed slightly. It was definitely a girl. Without thinking about it, Kai swung his legs off the bed and tried to stand up. To his surprise it didn't quite work. Instead of holding him up, his legs just collapsed beneath him sitting him neatly onto the floor. Grimacing at this lack of strength Kai put his hand on the bed and tried again. This time he managed to stay upright but his legs were shaking and he started to feel light-headed.

'You shouldn't be standing up you know.' Came a voice. It startled Kai so much that he lost his concentration and sat down again! He glared over to the girl in the corner. She was sitting up properly now, watching him. She smiled slightly. Kai grimaced in annoyance.

'Hn' came his short response. Then, looking away from the girl and at the room around him, he asked, 'Where am I?' If anything, the girl only smiled more, her face becoming more mischievous!

'Well, this is my room…that's MY bed…' Kai frowned over at her in consternation.

'I'd better get on my way before I trouble you further then' he said standing up again. This time his legs were steadier and he started for the door; quite ready to leave before this girl realised she was helping a murderer.

'Wait!' she exclaimed. 'You can't just leave?' Kai looked at her, an eyebrow slightly raised in questioning. 'I…I mean, don't you want to eat before you go?' Kai turned away again.

'I'm not hungry.' He growled quietly.

'But…' Kai stopped again. He was in the doorway now and he turned to look back at her, frowning slightly.

'Look, I'll pay you for your trouble if that's what you want?'

'No!' She cried, she was starting to look slightly hurt now. Kai stepped back uneasily, wondering if she was going to start crying or something.

'What do you want then?' he asked, as patiently as he could. The girl looked down at the ground now, her confidence gone.

'I just…It's just that…' Kai waited but the girl didn't speak. He suddenly realised that she _was_crying.

'Hey, don't do that! Look, just tell me what's the matter kid?' said Kai, trying desperately to calm the girl. He stepped forward hesitantly as she sobbed quietly. Her dark blue hair covering her eyes.

'I…I'm not a kid…' she murmured in the midst of her tears. Kai was standing in front of her now, unsure what he should do.

'I know that…but what am I supposed to call you, you haven't told me your name?' He said quietly so as not to alarm her. Sniffling slightly she looked up, the light from the setting sun glinting in her eyes.

'I'm Zephyr.' She said miserably. 'Who are you?' Kai stared at her for a second. Then he couldn't help himself. He started laughing. He couldn't stop even though it hurt! After a moment of confusion, Zephyr started to giggle a bit as well, then she was laughing too! Within seconds the two were on the floor, Kai clutching his stomach in pain but still laughing, Zephyr with fresh tears, this time of merriment, rolling down her face unchecked! After a while they calmed down enough for Kai to complain.

'That hurt.' He groaned, wincing at the ache from his injured side.

'It's your own fault!' Said Zephyr, accusingly. Still, she got up and moved over to him ignoring his feeble protests as she began unwrapping the bandages from his side.

'Don't be such a baby.' She reprimanded and he swiftly fell silent and chose to glare moodily at her instead.

'Damn!' she murmured irritably, 'You've started bleeding again.' Kai stayed silent, wondering suddenly why she was even bothering. He was nobody to her. An outcast. His gloom returned as he remembered his sister once more.

'Why are you doing this.' He asked disconsolately. She looked up at him in surprise, his sudden mood swing catching her out.

'Uh…why shouldn't I?' she glanced at him strangely and he looked away. He put his hand down on the rough floor to steady himself, running his finger carefully along a grain in the wood.

'I just…don't you know what I am?' She stayed silent, tightening the bandages around his chest. Kai stood up suddenly, pulling away from her and ignoring her protests.

'Just stop!' he shouted, rounding on her angrily. 'Why didn't you let me die? You could have let me die. I...I don't deserve your help.' His voice fell to a soft whisper. 'Can't you see? I'm a monster.' Zephyr looked at him, and her eyes filled with sudden anger.

'I don't care what you've done, I don't care who you are, all I wanted was to help you!' She stopped and took a breath to calm herself.

'I'm sorry, I just want to help you, okay?' Kai watched her suspiciously,

_She must be mad_, he thought. He tried to argue his case.

'But...'

'No buts, sit down on that bed and wait. I'm giving you something to eat whether you want it or not and I also won't have you bleeding all over my house after all my work getting it clean from last night.' There was a no nonsense look in her eyes that made Kai sit on the bed before he knew what was happening. Within minutes she had pushed a hot bowl of soup into his hands along with a large piece of fresh brown bread.

'Eat!' she ordered before sitting down beside him to start re-wrapping his bandages. After a hesitant pause, Kai decided to do as she asked. It wouldn't hurt, he would just leave as soon as she finished with his bandages, he definitely couldn't stay though, it wouldn't be safe, for either of them.

'So?' she said after a while. Kai looked at her, she had finished bandaging his side and was leaning back against the wall, watching him.

'What?' He asked, confused. She raised an eyebrow.

'You haven't told me your name yet.'

'Oh.' Kai looked down at his bowl of soup, it was almost empty. 'I'm Kai.' He said quietly.

'Just Kai?' She smiled slightly, amused at something.

'Kai Hiwatari.' The smile disappeared.

Kai's heart skipped a beat. She knew, she knew who he was. He had to escape. She stood up with a sudden movement as these thoughts whirled through his head. Instinctively, all his muscles began to tense in preparation for a quick escape. He didn't really want to hurt this girl but if she got in his way then he might have to.

'My mother…' Zephyr stopped and Kai waited tensely, wondering where this was leading.

'My mother used to work at a place called 'The Abbey'…It was run by a man named Hiwatari.' Kai's mouth fell slightly in shock. He suddenly found that he couldn't move even if he wanted to, his body wouldn't obey him anymore so he just sat there, stock still, watching warily as Zephyr gazed out the window, not really seeing what was in front of her. As the silence lengthened, Kai caught himself watching the fall of her long hair, glinting a soft gold across the waves of blue.

'What happened?' he whispered finally, breaking himself from the reverie. Her hand fell from fiddling with the gauze curtain and clenched angrily at her side.

'They killed her.' Her voice had dropped to a vehement whisper and she turned suddenly to glare at him with daggers in her eyes.

'Maybe I should have let you die.' She hissed coldly. Kai stared at her, suddenly there was a lump in his throat and he realised that he didn't want her to hate him. He wanted her to care if he lived, the way she had before. Breaking the spell of tense silence in the room, Kai stood up and strode to the door, trying to hold back sudden tears in his eyes. Why did it matter so much? Why did he care what she thought? She was a complete stranger to him. Closing his eyes, Kai stopped in the doorway.

'I'm sorry.' He said roughly before disappearing out into the falling night.

In the darkening room, Zephyr felt her knees go weak and she fell to the floor, choking back sudden tears.

'Mother. What have I done?' she whispered as the golden light of the setting sun disappeared and darkness crept into the lonely room.

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Wow, that girl has extreme mood swings...didn't notice it before! Ah well, hope you enjoyed it, I'll talk to ya next time!  
Cheese and Happiness!


	4. Alone Again

Hi everyone! I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been having a hard time writing this one! Anyway I just have to mention, I'm doing my Leaving Cert this year (My last year in school for non Irish folks!) As you can guess, this leaves me with little time to write so I'm going to continue with the slow updating for quite a while but don't worry, I'll never abandon you completely! There's always some hope of another chapter! Hehehe, anyway, I'll let you read it now,

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblades or any of the characters from that show but the rights to Zephyr are mine!

**Alone again**

_Alone again, there's no one left,_

_Just silence and my fears._

_Without you here, there is no light,_

_I can't see through the tears._

Kai strode away from the small wooden cabin into the ensuing darkness. He had pulled on his top as he was walking out but he realised now that he had forgotten his cloak. He let out a short curse, disgusted at himself. He couldn't go back and get it either, not now. He slowed down trying to work out what he could do, without the cloak he would be easier to spot and he would also be more vulnerable to the cold Russian nights. He paused where he was and thought about it, wondering if he could get the cloak without the girl knowing. Without his footsteps, the only sound should have been his breathing and the singing of the last evening birds yet a growing noise caught Kai's ears.

A car. It was coming closer, driving towards him. He turned around and ducked behind a bush just as it rounded the corner. He was in the middle of no where so it was only common sense to assume it was Voltaire's cronies, tracking him down. The car was black with dark tinted windows. At first Kai thought they had seen him but the car slowed and stopped outside the small wooden cottage that Kai had just come out of. Kai's heart skipped a beat. What would they do to Zephyr if they found her? He was about to stand up in an attempt to get to her before they could but the car doors opened and four men stepped out. As the doors slammed closed, the sunlight glinted sharply off cold metal in one man's hand. It was a gun.

'Zephyr!' gasped Kai. Events were moving to fast for him to do anything. Within seconds they were making their way towards the door. Kai hesitated only a second before realising what he had to do.

'HEY!' He yelled, standing up in full view. The four men turned in surprise before they started grinning, realising that Kai had hardly any chance of escaping. Shocked at his own stupidity, Kai turned tail and ran. The only thing that could save him now was luck. With his heart pounding, Kai fled across the bare Russian landscape, jumping and dodging past bushes and ditches.

There was a loud bang behind him and Kai winced at the sudden searing pain in his shoulder. He stumbled but kept on running. He had to get them away from Zephyr.

Kai was gasping desperately for air now, stumbling more often. All he could hear was his heavy breathing and the blood pounding in his ears. That and the sound of his feet thumping across the light layer of snow on the ground. His thoughts were whirling in his head and his vision was starting to blur from loss of blood. If she got caught up in his fight…No! He wouldn't let that happen.

All of a sudden, Kai's foot caught in a root and he went sprawling across the ground. He winced, waiting for his inevitable capture, for the heavy blows to come raining down.

But there was nothing. Kai opened his eyes fearfully. The landscape was hidden in darkness and everywhere was still. There were no pursuers, no approaching footsteps. Just silence. He was alone.

He sat up, clutching his shoulder where the bullet had penetrated his flesh and the blood dripped silently through his fingers. Ripping a piece of cloth from his already torn top, Kai pressed it against the wound, gasping at the pain as he tried to stem the bleeding. Why had he done that? Why had he put himself in such danger? And for a complete stranger, no less? Kai shook his head wonderingly, the old him would never have done it. He thought about the girl, Zephyr, the memory of her pained face as she found out his full name, flashing through his mind. He winced slightly, partly from pain but partly also from remembering how much hate had filled her dark, stormy eyes.

'Damn it!' he cursed in frustration. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He wasn't even sure where he had been headed before and now that this girl, Zephyr, had shown up, he was even more confused.

Kai stood up carefully on trembling legs, still clutching his shoulder. He turned to gaze back the way he had come. With the moon still low in the sky it was hard to make out anything in the dark but one thing was certain. There was no one else but him. What had happened to the four men chasing him then? They had definitely been after him. They had started running after him and then they'd shot him and then… Maybe they thought they could catch up with him if he was injured, maybe that's why they had stopped chasing him? Or maybe…Zephyr?

Kai's eyes widened as the thought hit him.

Could they have realised he was trying to draw the danger away from her? If that was the case…Kai cursed again and started off at a run, back the way he had come. If those …idiots, thought she was in any way important then they would use it to their advantage. That was just the way they had been told to work. Running at full sprint in the dark, Kai couldn't help tripping over countless roots and bushes that got in his way. Finally, when the moon had risen slightly and there was more light to see by, a large black shape loomed out of the darkness. Kai slowed to a halt, panting slightly. He was bruised and grazed all over from falling and his shoulder was still bleeding but he was there. Now if only…Kai shook his head, creeping forward, closer to the house. Why was he worried, it wasn't as if she was important. Even if she was still there as he hoped she was, his concern wouldn't stop her from hating him.

Moving as silently as possible, Kai crept to the corner of the house and peered around, searching for any sign of the enemy. The car was gone. Kai was starting to feel sick in his stomach but he couldn't work out if it was from his wounds or from worry. She would be fine, they probably hadn't even…

The door of the house came into view and Kai's face fell. It was open, and no light came from inside. Glancing around, Kai searched for some sign of a trap.

There was no sign of life anywhere. Slowly, carefully, he crept closer to the empty open door, a hollow feeling in his stomach. He jumped back at a sudden movement in the doorway before frowning at his mistake. It was just a stray cat. It stalked over to him and began winding it's way around his feet. He sank down, leaning against the wall and began stroking it, pulling at the kinks in its hair with shaking fingers.

With a sigh, Kai rested his head against the wall and closed his suddenly heavy eyes. All that running had worn him out again. The cat jumped up onto his lap and curled up, purring softly. Then, before he even realised what was happening, he was asleep.

_Dream_

_Kai ran, twisting and turning through endless, sterile, grey corridors. Up stairs and down, his breath echoed harshly and her screams rang in his ears. Finally, after what seemed like forever searching, he came upon a large metallic door, completely black; it seemed to suck away any light that could be found in this dreary place. The heart-wrenching screams seemed to come from behind it._

_Fearfully, Kai reached out his hand and pushed at the door. It made no sound as it swung open but the screams sudden__ly stopped, leaving only a deathly silence. Stepping through, Kai found himself in a huge, empty, grey room, the far wall too distant to be visible. At first he thought there was nothing there but as he looked around his eye caught on a single spot of colour. Right in the centre of the room, her small body was stretched face-down on the floor. The dress she wore was such a brilliant red that Kai wondered how he hadn't seen it at first. He started towards her but stopped again almost immediately, his heart skipping a beat as his father loomed out of the shadows behind her. Kai felt a sudden anger flooding through his veins and with a loud roar he started sprinting towards the evil man. As Kai ran, his father seemed to grow larger and larger, soon towering over her limp body. At the same time as he was growing bigger, her dress seemed to get paler and paler as if he was draining away her life force. Still Kai was no where nearer to either of them. Suddenly the face of Kai's father changed and in his place was the laughing face of Voltaire Hiwatari._

_'You can't help her now!' he grinned wickedly, 'You've killed her, it's your fault. She's dead and it's all your fault.' Kai gasped as he found himself suddenly standing over her still body. Voltaire Hiwatari was gone, his laughter fading away, but as Kai watched, she slowly rolled over until her lifeless eyes were staring up at him. Kai shook as he stared into his sister's accusing eyes before it became to much and he let out a short despairing scream, covering up his tear filled eyes as he backed away._

_When he opened them again she was standing in front of him, only it wasn't his sister any more, it was Zephyr. She took a step towards him, smiling softly. His eyes fell suddenly upon the blood soaked knife gripped in her hand and he took another step back._

_'Come on Kai, it doesn't hurt.' She stepped suddenly closer so that their faces were only a breath apart and she hooked her arm around his shoulders. 'Don't you want to play?' she asked, questioningly as she trailed the knife across his chest, leaving smears of blood on his clothes. Slowly she moved the knife down, towards his belly until she had the point pricking gently against his pale skin. 'It doesn't hurt' she repeated. Kai's eyes widened and he shook his head trying to push her away. It was a mistake. Her eyes changed instantly from playful to angry and the knife stabbed violently into his chest._

_End Dream_

Kai woke with a yelp of pain, his hand moving automatically to the painful pricking on his stomach. Instead of the blood he expected, his hand fell upon the soft fur of the stray cat still sleeping on his lap. He sighed with a slightly embarrassed relief, what he had dreamt of as a knife was actually sharp claws kneading in and out in time to the cat's purrs. Woken by his hand stroking it's soft fur, the cat yawned and stretched before jumping down and disappearing into the cold night. Kai stood up, brushing himself off before suddenly remembering where he was.

'Zephyr!' He turned quickly to the empty doorway and peered in. he knew by now that there was no one there. There was a distinct feeling of emptiness. Still he tiptoed carefully inside. No one. After searching through the all the rooms in the small cottage, Kai returned to the bedroom where he had first awoken only a few hours ago. He lowered himself shakily onto the worn down armchair, despite his rest outside he still felt sick. His shoulder burned with pain and he could tell he was getting a fever. Every now and then his eyes would blur and it was hard to concentrate on the task at hand. With dazed eyes, Kai stared blankly at the far wall, wondering vaguely how he was gonna get out of this mess, he was still thinking about Zephyr when he finally fell unconscious and reality blurred into lonely nightmares.

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Well, that's it for another...few months...errr...Dodges fruit hehe, I'll see ya next time! Don't forget, comments are greatly inspiring and much appreciated!


	5. Lost and Found

Well, for those of you who are still hanging on in the hope that I'll be nice and update quicker...well done...here's your prize!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade nor do I have any claims to it. I just wanted to write a story..._

**Lost and Found**

_I see you now, your weeping face,_

_Your tears crash to the ground_

_Do you see I'm here? I'm born again,_

_And when you're lost, I'm found._

A continuous rumbling groan on the edge of hearing, rough voices, the heavy feeling of being carried, then pain at being dropped unceremoniously to the ground. A lingering sweetness of scent, a soft touch, cooling the desperate thoughts rushing through his mind. In his fevered state, these were the only things that Kai could tell of his surroundings before giving in entirely once more to the empty depths of unconsciousness.

Later on, after many fearful dreams and fevered nightmares, Kai became aware of a presence other than himself. A hushed voice whispered his name and he thought he could hear tears in that quiet sound. Breaking free from the daze that had a hold on his mind, Kai weakly opened his eyes and watched as a silhouetted shape swam into view.

'Kai?', that soft voice again. Who was it? Who knew his name? 'Can you hear me Kai?' Kai squeezed his eyes shut in frustration before opening them again, trying to clear his vision.

'Who…?' he groaned weakly, his mouth dry. He felt another hand squeeze his own… in relief? The shadow leaning over him disappeared for a second before his head was gently lifted and the girl, it must be a girl, trickled some brackish water into his parched mouth. He coughed slightly at the earthy taste but swallowed despite it. As she lay his head down again he closed his eyes and sank back into a dreamless sleep.

'…the hell is taking so long, bitch?' An angry snarl penetrating the empty sleep. Kai lay still.

A hand tightened around his own and he could feel the fear shaking through it.

'He's still sick, please, just give me one more day and he'll wake up, please!' She was pleading for him. for his life.

Zephyr.

Gently, without opening his eyes, Kai squeezed back. The grip on his hand steadied and he felt a hand on his arm, warning him to stay quiet. He didn't need the warning. He knew they were in trouble. There was an angry growl and an irritated curse.

'Fuck this. If he's not awake by tomorrow morning I don't give a shit anymore, I'll just kill you both get it?' Zephyr's fearful voice replied.

'I...I get it.'

'Good!' There was a sound of footsteps fading away, a door slamming, and then nothing.

'Kai?' Kai opened his eyes to find Zephyr staring at him worriedly. He stared back at her, wondering. Memories of before flashing to the front of his mind, memories of her accusing eyes.

'Zephyr…' he started. He blinked in confusion and, breaking the gaze between them, began taking in his surroundings. 'Where…?' He closed his eyes and growled in frustration, he was so weak he couldn't even string a couple of words together.

'Here, you need to eat something.' She said quietly. 'You've been…asleep for two days now.' Kai opened his eyes again and tried to sit up. Zephyr's face creased in worry as she helped him, leaning him gently against the wall as he gasped for pain filled breath's. Finally he steadied himself, settling into a calmer breathing pace he put all his concentration into staying upright, it felt almost like he was paralysed he was so weary. He tried lifting his arm but it shook so much he let it fall back again and instead, looked around at his surroundings with half-lidded eyes.

From what he could make out in the dark light, they were in a small, empty room. There was dust everywhere and the single window was so grimy that no light could get through. As Zephyr turned away to retrieve some form of food, Kai noticed grimly that her left eye was bruised and she had a small cut across her cheek. He sighed and glared angrily down at the thin blanket covering him, for want of an object more worthy of blame.

When Zephyr turned back and knelt down beside him, she was holding a chipped bowl containing steaming liquid.

She lifted the bowl to his lips, allowing him to drink some of the thin soup.

'Sorry,' she whispered miserably. 'this is all the food there is…' Kai didn't say anything. He was finding it hard to even swallow and he only managed to eat half the soup anyway. As Zephyr placed the half eaten soup on the floor, Kai looked away, ashamed of his weakened state. There was an uncomfortable silence.

'I…' Kai stopped, still staring at the dirty floor. Zephyr watched him, waiting. 'I'm the one who should be sorry…' He coughed suddenly, interrupting himself and setting off a painful few minutes where he could barely breathe for coughing and choking with Zephyr holding him steady, keeping him from falling, offering soothing words even while her eyes were widened with fear. As the racking coughs gradually subsided Kai found himself leaning heavily against the dark-haired girl and although he tried, he found he had no more energy left to move and so he simply lay there as she held him in her arms, each suddenly comforted by the fact that they were no longer so alone.

When he awoke later it was dark and Zephyr was gone. From outside he could hear angry shouting again. Kai pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. He was pleased to find himself lot stronger than he had been earlier. He could actually move about and support his own weight again. Outside the shouts were getting louder, getting closer to wherever he was. It was a mixture of a man's deep voice and Zephyr's half angry half pleading shouts and every now and then her screams. Kai's eyes widened as he realised she must be in danger.

With shaking limbs, Kai pushed himself up against the wall, panting heavily with the effort it took as the room swam about him. Pushing away from the wall, Kai squeezed his eyes shut against a sudden surge of nausea. Staggering towards the door on trembling legs, Kai threw himself across the last distance and grabbed hold of the door handle, leaning heavily against it for support.

From outside he could hear angry shouts and cries and all of a sudden came a thump that he could feel through the door. Something or someone had been thrown against the wall on the other side of the door. Kai hoped against hope that it hadn't been Zephyr even as he knew it must be.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Kai pushed forcibly down on the door handle and crashed the door open. A rush of frozen air swooped into the already cool room. It wrapped Kai's body in goose-bumps and made every breath ache. In front of him stood a menacing looking man, his fists were clenched and his eyes were full of hate. His eyes widened slightly at seeing Kai in the doorway.

'Well…look who it is…' The man growled. Kai's eyes flickered to each side, trying to find Zephyr. He had to stifle a sudden gasp of shock when he glimpsed her fall of long, dark blue tresses spread across the snow covered ground, covering her still face and arms. Spattered across the pure, white snow was a spray of blood.

Oh, I'm so cruel to you guys amn't I?! . Sorry, And don't you know it's gonna take me forever to upload the next one as well! Okay, for those of you who want to know what taking so long, I'm doing my last year at school and I have big exams in a few months which means I'm meant to be studying non-stop! So take pity and try not to kill me! I'll post the next chapter as soo as I can okay! Don't worry, one thing I do promise, I won't stop posting altogether, I will continue posting this story through to its end!

Thanks for your patience everyone! Please R&R!


	6. Me With You

Yay a new chapter! 'Finally' they say! I'm sorry I've been so useless at updating for so long, I've had hellish exams (Admitedly they finished like two months ago but...) Anyway, I got a new laptop recently and that's made it loads easier to write and update everything so maybe I'll turn over a new leaf and try updating a little quicker for once! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter anywho, please remember to R&R at the end!

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Beyblade or the characters that come with it!  
**

**Me, With You**

**  
**

_At first, alone. Me on my own._

_Now, there's you. A teardrop, blue_

_Falls thankful to be shown_

_My love, and Me with You._

Blood. Her blood. Vivid drops against the stark white snow. His eyes took in the little details of her face, her silky skin, scarred with a single scratch and dripping blood that fell like tears to merge pink with the snow. Her eyes, gently closed, as if she were only asleep, her soft blue wisps of hair, fluttering lightly in the ice cold breeze. Her outstretched hand, reaching towards him in a silent cry for help, the fingers sinking slightly into the softer, top layer of snow.

In his head, Kai recalled the violent thump against the wall as he had struggled to get outside earlier. It had been her. From, the paralysis of frozen shock, Kai's mind flooded with shaking, red hot anger. His face became a mask of fury as he turned to the man who had done the deed and lunged for him with a scream of pure rage.

At first the man looked surprised by Kai's sudden rush of aggression and he backed away for a second before a grin spread across his face. With a laugh of derision he easily dodged Kai's blunt attack and, in his weakened condition, Kai was suddenly struggling just to keep his momentum from tripping him up. Twisting around he grabbed hold of the taller man's coat and swung a violent punch at his face. Pulling on the man's coat to keep his balance Kai brought him close enough to get in a proper hit. With a vicious crack the man reeled back and Kai tumbled to the ground, finally losing his balance completely.

With a cry of anger and pain, the man lunged at Kai, kicking out at him with a heavy boot. Kai gasped with shock as his ribs cracked and the breath was driven from him. Unable to move anymore from his pain and fatigue, Kai curled up into a ball of tightly clenched pain as more and more rage-filled blows rained down on his broken body. Gasping heavily for breath, Kai's vision faded slowly to black and he gave in finally to oblivion.

'Kai! Kai?' Kai groaned. 'Jeeze Kai, do you wanna fight me or not? Wake up!' Kai opened his eyes to see Tyson staring down at him, a large frown on his face. Behind him, Rei and Max were watching with vague interest.

'But…' Kai stared up at Tyson in astonishment. 'What…where did…uh….what's going on?' He felt completely disoriented by the sudden change of scenery. What had happened to the man he'd been fighting, and Zephyr? What about her? It couldn't have been a dream.

'You said you'd fight me remember? Beyblades kinda thing?….Man Kai, are you okay? You seem really out of it.' Kai shook his head, standing up.

'I'm fine, let's fight.' But he was just as confused as before. Where had all the snow gone? It was Sunny here. He looked around and realised that they were at Tyson's house, where they used to train before…before….Kai shook his head again, before what? Tyson called his name again, catching his attention. Kai remembered then, of course! He was training for the tournament. He put his hand into his pocket and brought out Dranzer, the sun flashed across the bright metal, blinding his eyes for a second, the brief moment reminding him of a gun shot…Kai shook his head again. Where had that thought come from? He hadn't heard a gun shot since he was little, had he?

'Kai?' Kai frowned at Tyson and finally held out his launcher.

'3,2,1…Let it rip!!!' The two blades spun out and away from their respective owners, warily circling each other in the dish before clashing violently together, sparks trailing behind. Kai watched, distractedly guiding Dranzer in the fight as he tried to remember the reason for the aching pain in his side. There was a sudden yell of victory from Tyson and Kai looked up in shock at how easily Tyson had beaten him. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he concentrate?

'Are you sure you're okay Kai?' Rei was standing beside him, looking at him with worried eyes. 'You've never lost to Tyson so easily before.' Tyson nodded, frowning.

'I agree Kai, that was way to easy, it's no good me fighting you if it's not gonna be a challenge!' Kai lowered his eyes to the Beyblade in his hand. He turned away from his friends, hiding the confusion in his eyes and biting back a cry at the pain burning through his muscles.

'I said I'm fine. I was just still half asleep…' Asleep. She must be only sleeping, eyes closed so

peaceful like that. Just asleep. That's why she isn't here.

Kai choked back a cry as his vision went blurry for a second and her face swam before him in a

strange vision. With a gasp he fell dizzily to one knee.

'Kai!' He looked up as they crowded around him, calling his name frantically as his vision faded

away to black. 'Kai!…Kai…wake up, please wake up!'

'Wake up?' thought Kai, fuzzily, adrift in a haze of black pain. 'I am …awake…' But if he was

awake, why couldn't he see? With a monumental effort, Kai wrenched his eyes blearily open. A

worried face swam into view.

'Rei?' Kai murmured, still dazed. The persons long hair fell messily over their face and their eyes

widened with a gasp of surprise.

'Kai!' A girl's voice. A girl. With a gasp of sudden fear Kai forced his body up, eyes wide and darting as he tried to find her body in the snow.

'Zephyr!' He was panicking as everywhere he looked was a blinding white, where was her body?

'Kai, calm down, you're just gonna hurt yourself more! Kai!' Kai stopped for a second and looked at his surroundings again. Then he looked up at the person who was trying to hold him still.

Her deep blue eyes were filled with worry and her arms were trembling around his.

'Zephyr?' He whispered, disbelievingly. Then, with a sigh of relief, he sank back again into a more comforting and healing darkness.

When Kai woke up again it was dark. Looking around he realised that they were no longer outside but were in a small, clean room, the only furniture being the bed and the chair that Zephyr was now sitting in. It looked as if she was asleep. Looking away from her, to the other side of the room Kai could see the moon and some stars out of the window. Also, here and there, flakes of soft white snow were beginning to fall.

'Kai?' Kai looked back over at the dark-haired girl. In the moonlight he could see that her eyes were red from crying.

'Zephyr…what's going on?' he asked weakly, his voice barely more than a whisper.

'Kai! Thank God your okay! I thought…I thought…' for a few seconds the strange girl fought back tears. Finally she gained control over her faltering voice. 'I woke up and that man was kicking you and you…you weren't moving…I…' She turned away from his searching eyes. 'I dragged myself away. Somehow I managed to get to his van and open the door and I found his coat with a mobile phone in the pocket. I only had time to ring for an ambulance before I fell unconscious again. When I came to, I found myself here, in the hospital. You were in critical condition and they wouldn't let me near you. That was ten days ago.' Kai's eyes widened,

'Ten days?' he gasped. 'But…why?…How come…' Kai trailed off, his thoughts too dazed to work it all out. He was a wanted criminal wasn't he? If they hadn't worked it out yet then it was only a matter of time. In a state of near panic Kai brought his less injured hand to his face to the blue triangles that had always given away his identity before.

Zephyr shook her head and stood up to stand beside him. She reached out and pulled his hand away.

'It's okay Kai. I told them you were my brother. They were a bit curious for a while but this place is too small for them to know much about you. Luckily I woke up before they could make a connection. I…I didn't want them to hurt you any more…' She lowered her eyes from Kai's shocked gaze. Watching her lonely face Kai tried to let it all sink in. She had protected him. Did she know? Did she even care, what he had done?

'But I…' he stopped himself. What had he done? He was so tired he wasn't even thinking straight any more. 'I didn't….I would never…' Kai closed his eyes and sank back. What was he trying to say? Why shouldn't she stay?

_Because you killed her_ came the insidious whisper in his mind. Kai's eyes snapped open. Catching Zephyrs hand in a tight grip he told her,

'I didn't kill her. Not like the papers said…not like that…' Zephyr's eyes were bright with unshed tears as she whispered softly to the shaking boy.

'It's okay. It's gonna be okay.'

Thank you, thank you! That will be all! Until next time my friends, cheese and happiness and feel free t leave one of those things we like to call 'a review'!


	7. Escape

**Hello everyone, you thought I'd never update ever again didn't you? (Yeah, well, so did I!XD) But I am persevering with this story and I promise you , even if it takes me years to do, I WILL finish this story. Most of you probably won't want to stick with it that long though, sorry! Anyway, here it is, the next chapter, I'l let you get on with reading it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Beyblade or any of the beyblade characters. Zephyr is a character of my creation though, isn't she lovely!  
**

**Escape**

_Escape, my sweetest victory,_

_No empty room nor frozen heart,_

_With you, love. Your light_

_Leads me on; to escape._

Two days had passed since Kai had woken up and he was finally well enough to get up and walk about. He had spent most of the two days sleeping and the time while he was actually awake he had spent trying to watch Zephyr covertly, not wanting the strange girl to notice. Because that's what she was; strange, odd. She was different from people he'd known before, she reminded him a little of Rei, the only Blade Breaker he'd ever really got on with. She didn't talk non-stop or loudly, she was quiet and considerate. She almost never asked questions, even when he could tell she wanted to know. It felt like…like she understood him. Kai paused in his thoughts, his eyes still watching her as she sat in that chair by his bed. He frowned slightly, she had refused to leave his side as well. Not even finding somewhere like a hotel to sleep. Why? Either she was a complete fool or…Kai shut his eyes tight against the thought that was creeping in his mind. He couldn't deal with it. Instead he took a deep breath. It was time to end this.

'So...what are you gonna do now?' he asked quietly. Zephyr looked up from the leaflet she had been reading. Kai wasn't looking at her, he was staring out the window, watching the birds swoop past on silent wings, avoiding her gaze...

'What do you mean? she asked, though she thought she knew exactly what he meant. There was a short silence before Kai turned his head and looked at her. His intense gaze breaking through her determination. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. They both knew what was being asked.

'I ...guess you don't really need someone like me tagging along, huh?' said zephyr, her words all rushing out at once. Kai looked away from her again as her cheeks reddened, his eyes were clouded with some hidden emotion.

You'd only get in trouble if you stayed.' he stated rather stiffly. Zephyr clenched her fists helplessly in her lap. There was a tense silence. Finally Zephyr stood up with one decisive movement.

'I see.' Kai glanced back up at her, startled now that it was happening. Her eyes refused to meet his and instead she turned and grasped the door handle with shaking fingers. Something within Kai tensed up as she paused but...

'I guess we won't see each other again.' she turned her head slightly as if to look back at him one last time but changing her mind, turned back to the door, her grip on the handle tightening.

'Good Luck.' she whispered and was gone.

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It had been three days now since Kai had last seen Zephyr. He assumed she had gone back to her home, wherever that was. Having left the hospital he had realised that he had completely lost his sense of direction and, unfortunately, had neglected to ask Zephyr where exactly it was that she had brought them. Since he had been judged healthy enough to be released from the hospital's care, Kai had had to get used to being chased and shouted after all over again. Being with Zephyr in those few days had almost made him forget what had happened to him. What he was doing...as if he had ever known before what he was doing. Truth was Kai hadn't a clue. He was wandering aimlessly, it was starting to seem as if his sole purpose in life was to evade capture and it was tiring him out. He had to escape them each and every time. They only had to win once.

Three days and he still wasn't sure quite where he was. Kind of sad really. He would have asked someone but he could only think of how much of a bad idea it was to draw any kind of attention to himself. Kai sighed once again. He could tell he was in a bad situation, and it probably wasn't going to get any better any time soon. He could feel himself tiring, growing weaker as he was forced to sleep out in the cold, forced to live on any crumbs and leftovers he could scavenge. He didn't even have his cloak any more to help disguise himself from the ones searching for him. Searching for a murderer.

kai looked up, gazing down the road where, in the distance, he could see what looked like a large city. He frowned to himself, the last inhabited place he had been in was a small village early this morning. Looking at the towering buildings and grey smog hovering over, Kai knew that it was a bad idea to venture into such a place where he would be surrounded by people who would be on the lookout for him. Surrounded by hands waiting to reach out and grab him. But despite this danger, it was still more foolhardy to stay out in the country, prey to cold and starvation. Reaching up Kai rubbed the blue triangles on his face ruefully. They didn't smudge or disappear. He couldn't get rid of them, they were there for life, a mark given to him by the Abbey, a way for anyone to easily recognise him.

Resigned, Kai quickened his pace. It would be night soon and he would be better able to slip through the streets without notice. As he walked, he let his mind wander, letting his thoughts drift to memories of Zephyr, the few that he had. He thought back to the dream he had had just before waking up in hospital, he could barely remember it now but it had left a distinct impression on him, a feeling of something more than the emptiness that he had now. He vaguely remembered the faces of his old team, the Blade Breakers. He remembered once more his sisters last words,

' don't give up Kai…you still have friends, they care about you…they still remember you…even if you don't...' Kai closed his eyes, trying to block out the echoing words but they were still there, whispering back and forth through his head. Pushing his hair back out of his eyes with a heavy sigh, he peered up at the dark shadows of buildings rising up before him. Though it was getting late the sounds of the city were still in evidence, cars rumbling past, laughter floating from open windows, here and there the squeal of tires and the shouts of drunken teens. Kai grimaced, he almost envied their carefree abandonment. Almost. He couldn't help but feel hatred for their drunken behaviour. His scarred stomach still ached a little from his fathers inebriated attack.

Kai let out a low curse as he stumbled on the uneven pavement and painfully stubbed his toe. He stopped for a second to let the pain settle. Grimacing he looked back up and got a shock as he realised that he was completely surrounded. He hadn't even heard them sneak up on him, they just appeared out of nowhere. Dark figures, shadows in the night, they closed in warily around him. Kai backed away a step before bumping into the wall his eyes wide, fearing the worst.

Grimacing at his own weak behaviour Kai whipped out his Beyblade, Dranzer, and took up a defensive position. Glaring at the shadowy figures surrounding him, he waited cautiously for someone to make the first move. He wasn't going to let himself get beaten again. He'd had enough of it. he hadn't been trained in The Abbey for nothing. He was surprised at the feel of the blade in his hand, it had been so long since he'd taken it out that he had almost forgotten, the sharp edges, the cold metal, the feeling of power resting in the palm of his hand. Fear still lingered in his heart, fear of being captured, being dragged back into a nightmare of pain and horror but it no longer showed in his eyes. If Kai was anything, he was a master at hiding his emotions.

The group of hooded figures had backed away slightly, their movements wary. Kai tightened his grip on the ripcord, ready to destroy anything that came between him and his freedom, what freedom he had anyway.

'Wait!'

Kai looked up in surprise. That voice... one of the figures stepped forward, lowering his hood.

'Kai, stop! It's me, Tala!' Kai's eyes widened again in shock.

'Tala, why? How?' Kai realised that his hands were shaking and let them fall to his sides, despite his previous actions, in reality, he was too weak from hunger, cold and lack of sleep to have put up much of a fight.

'I'm here to help you Kai. Come on, we've got to get you away from here. It's not safe.' He reached out to take Kai's arm but Kai pushed him away.

'Wait a second! Why should I trust you? you're with Voltaire right?' He shouted, 'You're probably just gonna take me straight back to him!' He backed away from his old friend his back hit against the wall and there was no way left to escape. his breathing was getting heavier. He was so tired. Tala watched him. Kai was surprised to see that his eyes were tinged with worry.

'Kai, Voltaire thinks I'm dead and has thought so for over a year now. Please come with us, we can help you.' Kai let his gaze shift to the other figures surrounding him. Though they had removed their hoods he didn't recognise any of them. Though it was hard to tell, it was so dark and he felt dizzy and weak. Looking back at Tala he wondered if he was telling the truth or not. He couldn't think straight any more.

Tala watched his old friend, wondering how he could persuade him of the truth. He could see that Kai was near the end of his strength, the fact that he hadn't even noticed them approaching him was proof enough of that. Tala sighed and closed his eyes.

Kai looked up at his old friend. His eyes were closed and he could no longer read anything from that pale face. Kai suddenly realised he was on his knees. As his eyes blurred and his vision went black, Kai let out one last gasp before his body hit the frozen concrete with a soft thud.

'Tala...'

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Annnndd, that's it for now! Please review and tell me what you think, feel free to be angry over my lack of updating, I know it's terribly annoying! If you're wondering about Zephyr's sudden disapearance, you're not the only one, I had no idea she would do that! That girl has I mind of her own...I hope I can find her again...hmm, anyways, until next time! Take care!


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